Israel – Premier Tech has renewed four of the team’s core riders with Guillaume Boivin signing on for the 2023 season and Mads Würtz Schmidt, Tom Van Asbroeck, and Rick Zabel all set to stay for another two years.

When putting together the 2023 roster, it was an easy decision to re-sign some of the team’s most experienced support riders who are also capable of winning, says IPT General Manager Kjell Carlström.

We are happy to announce that Guillaume Boivin, Mads Würtz Schmidt, Tom Van Asbroeck, and Rick Zabel will stay with IPT for the next one to two seasons. Guillaume, Mads, Tom, and Rick have all proved themselves to be good teammates, riding in support of our leaders, but also capable of taking an opportunity for themselves. They have contributed to key moments in the team’s history and we are looking forward to seeing them continue with IPT,” explains Carlström.

Although the 2022 season has been a challenging one, Van Asbroeck and Boivin put in standout performances at the 2021 Paris – Roubaix, battling the epic conditions to finish in eighth and ninth place respectively and cement themselves as some of IPT’s most experienced Classics riders.

Similarly, 2021 was a breakthrough year for Würtz Schmidt who won the Danish road race championships and sprinted to his first WorldTour win at Tirreno – Adriatico. While Zabel has proved his consistency as the team’s top sprint lead-out rider, and this year wore the first KOM jersey at the Giro d’Italia.

Boivin, Van Asbroeck, Würtz Schmidt, and Zabel join Daryl Impey and Simon Clarke, who will also remain in IPT colors in 2023.

Guillaume Boivin, 33, Canada
With IPT since 2016

I am super happy to come back with Israel ¬ Premier Tech for another year. I have been on the team since 2016 so this really feels like home and it never crossed my mind to go anywhere else. I am really thankful to the team for keeping me onboard even though it has been a bit of a difficult season health-wise this year. To still have their trust and confidence means a lot to me. I’m looking forward to repaying them next year and be healthy and strong for the cobbled classics. I missed out on pretty much all of them this year so I am really looking forward to that and also to do some good work with Woodsy. It makes me really happy to help a good friend in some of the hilly races as well.

Tom Van Asbroeck, 32, Belgium
With IPT since 2019

I’m super happy to re-sign for Israel – Premier Tech. This team felt like a family already from the first year I joined, so this made my choice even easier. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck this season, but the only thing I can say is “Rome wasn’t built in one day” and I still believe in the potential this team has. What is great will eventually shine!
The goals for the next years are what they’ve always been: fighting for victories in the biggest races against the best teams in the world
.”

Mads Würtz Schmidt, 28, Denmark

With IPT since 2020

I’m happy to be staying with the team. For me personally, it has been a great team and I am happy to be in this environment. The team approached me really early about staying which I was very happy with, especially as this year has been a really difficult year for me on many levels. But, the team has only shown me support and given me the time needed to get back so the team really proved to be a good place for me to be. So I am super happy to stay. I just have one goal for next year and that’s just to be better than this year. I want to do good races next year and get back to the level I know I can have. I will work really hard this winter to make sure I am in good shape for the start of the season.”

Rick Zabel, 28, Germany
With IPT since 2020

I am happy to sign on for another two years with Israel ¬ – Premier Tech. It is a team where I feel at home and have made a lot of good friends over the last years so it was a natural decision to stay. I think everyone knows that this has been a difficult year for us but we are all motivated to come back stronger next year and I hope to be at my best level possible. For me, my primary objective is to play a key role in the sprint train and be the best teammate possible, and if there is ever an opportunity to try something myself, I will go for it.”